Jyukai: The Sea of Trees Behind Mt. Fuji (Ki no umi)

Mt. Fuji is symbolic of Japan, and much beloved by all Japanese. Nevertheless, at its base extends a broad expanse of virgin forest famed as a place in which to commit suicide. It is called JYUKAI, "Sea of Trees."

The Sea of Trees Behind Mt. Fuji

I keep asking where you went in there from!

I told you, Mt. Fuji's "Sea of Trees" is a huge area!

"...Not by car so I don't know"!

Idiot! Don't mess with me!

I've known for ages you don't have a driver's license?

I'm asking where you got off the bus!

Move!

I'm here. Enter from the shrine gate?

Hang on a minute.

Well, well, Hanaoka-san, finally you call me.

You can't get away... I sent that condolence telegram...

because I thought you must have died.

You must pay the interest at least, 15,000 yen, tomorrow morning.

You fail to pay up this time, your family gets a black wreath.

Idiot!

Hey, don't hang up.

Isn't this a hiking trail?

Came here to die, huh?

"...Go straight to the sign"?

"Live, something good awaits you. Recall once more a loved one 3 face."

Didn't you read this?

You should've read it!

Well, even if you did read it, guess it wouldn't change your mind...

"KITAMURA, Kyoko."

She took off.

"Friendship"

Here the additional loan of 30,000 yen.

Interest already withheld, OK?

Onuma Hitomi, you must repay it in 10 days, Thursday of next week.

Thanks.

How lovely your legs are... kind of a waste.

Why not leave the kid somewhere end work? You got plenty left.

Pnchinko pin bolls earn you money, but fondling bolls would really pay.

Koki!

Keep on earning!

Crime for a woman like her to be raising a kid, huh?

What's your name again?

I'm Nishida.

Hey, Nishida,

get me a coffee from that vending machine.

Right?

You...

What did your client say?

I'll cover it myself.

Tatsuya! I've set you up with four fronts.

You've got to have more business sense.

We've got a system. Big deal if you let us down, you know?

Kitamura Kyoko's 23 years old, huh?

We can get a lot more out of her.

I'll squeeze this time.

"Recall one more a loved ones face."

So, you entered from opposite the sign.

"KITAMURA, Kyoko."

No response due to weak signal or the unit being out of service.

"Women, Feel at Ease! SMILE LADIES LOAN"

"KI-TA-MU-RA"

"KYO-K0"

"Nu data available."

Think I didn't know that?!

Is the 'Boss' always like that?

Don't they usually let you keep the change? I was sure he would.

Shut up and work. Idiot!

"K1 TAMURA, Kyuku"

Hello? Where'd you run off to?

What? Mt. Fuji's "Sea of Trees"?

Where the hell is that?

"...Sprained ankle, can't walk"? What you doing there?

"...Kill myself"?!

"...Follow the rope"? Did you put up this rope?

"..Was already up"? Didn't you come here to die?

What's going on here?!

How far does it go...?

HEY, hello, you listening?

Sure walked far enough, didn't you?

Why does a suicide walk so far? Just do it near the entrance.

"...Don't want them to find my body"?

Something strange about you.

Why do I have to come all this way to do my job?!

"...Haven't walked so far, or the cell phone wouldn't work"?

Well, that's true enough...

Kitamura Kyoko!

Hey, did you hear that?

"I can hear..."? Not on the phone, my voice!

No, not the phone! I mean my yelling voice! Idiot!

I yelled "Kitomura Kyoko"!

Kitamura-san! Kitamura Kyoko-san!

Thanks, I'm from Smile Ladies Loan.

Come in.

Forget that mess. How about this month's repayment?

At least get the interest, or I can't go back!

Can't a woman find a way to get money when it comes to this?!

If you want,

I can introduce you to a good place...

What should I do?

Somehow or other, at least get the interest, OK?

I'll be back.

Damn!

There's an odd piece of cloth on the way, you near there?

"Don't know"? You have no sense at all!

Right beside the rope... the rope!

"...Didn't notice it"? Where were you looking?

"...Not there when I came through"?!

I'm gonna kill you!

Hey, the rope splits off in two.

What? "Always go right if lost"? Don't make a fool of me!

"Always go right if lost"?

Hey, why is it only me talking? You should talk sometimes too!

Just sing or something.

"Not good at karaoke"?

Anything is fine, just sing something!

"In that case I'll hang up"? Damn you!

OK. I got it.

Just keep quiet then, but don't hang up.

Hey, you still alive?

That you plan suicide, sprain an ankle and ask for help is funny,

but the rescuer being a loon shark is even funnier!

Why did you call me anyway?

Well that's true... I'm softy.

I bet there's no one else you could call...

Mine's bad, but the other shop cheated you too.

We drove away the people around you.

How did you end up like this?

Started with a credit card?

You don't have tn say, everybody's the same.

You were born in rural Tochigi right?

We checked your family registration, ID carat I know everything.

77rere is no thing out there. Rural is better off just being rural.

Sure there's Denny's, MsDonalds Uniglo... really no thing much.

If your parents are farmers you'll accept that life.

They work jobs, but are lost in between.

Nowhere to work, nowhere tn go, pretending you're more than you are.

You know you shouldn't stay there...

Standing reading in convenience stores; feeling there is somewhere better.

But when you get there, you stand there reading too.

Why'd you read the handout anyway?

"Confidential, low interest, unsecured loans quickly, no questions asked!"

Isn't it an obvious lie? You don't know even that?

People like you...

should stay away from places like mine!

It's the worst scum of society that comes to these places!

People who'll do anything for money come to us!

You listening to me?

Hey, did you swallow something?

"Cold pills... the whole bottle"?!

Quick, throw it up! You might really die!

What the...!

Damn!

Damn!

Can she...

really be in here?

At the end of this rope,

somewhere?

Tatsuya is it!

One, two, three, four...

five, six, seven, eight...

nine, ten.

"...A loved one's face."

"Friendship"

What should I do?

Got it!

Oh, please, please answer!

In junior high I couldn't go on the school trip.

Principal said a problem child like me couldn't go along.

I defiantly said nobody would want to go,

but really I felt left out.

Classmates collected money to get me a souvenir.

They got an ornament of the Tokyo Tower!

"Friendship" was written on it.

Who'd ever buy such a thing?!

Thought they were ridiculing me, got mad and smashed it.

I was trying to be such a cool guy...

but they all hated me.

Moved to Tokyo, went up the Tower...

Went up alone, somehow bought that same ornament,

the tower with "Friendship" written on it.

Seeing that tower on your place was like a stab in the heart.

Why do you...

why do you have that thing?

Why do you have it too?!

Hey"...

Stay there.

At the end of the rope.

Stay there.

Hey!

Hey, come around!

Hey!

What...

should I do?

"What... do?"

It's already decided.

We'll go back together...

We'll go back.

"SMILE LADIES LOAN"

Better if I'd just been killed properly.

Yeah, an M16 would've been better than the MP 'Short.'.

But the 'Short' is lighter. Better for this rough terrain.

Lighter, but this is like Vietnam so the M16's the one.

Last ball of rope. Maybe too far into this place.